Remember to Breath
by heroesfan112
Summary: A new fight for the jinchuriki has begun, and one such jinchuriki has just been orphaned. Follow the tale of the jinchuriki, Moroi, and his friend and protector, Yuuki, as they avenge Moroi's parent's, and fight for survival. Reviews are much appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

New Naruto Fanfiction.

AU: Two generations since the defeat of Madara Uchiha, the Ninja world is at peace…make that WAS at peace. A new enemy appears, throwing the world into turmoil as he searches for the new Jinchuriki hosts-all 25 of them! Enter: Moroi Hakushi & Yuuki Hogosha!

(Author's note: for those who are wondering about the names, use this site: ., it describes their personalities.)

There was a riot in the streets of Konoha. People were angry and panicking. Caught in the riot were two ninjas, not protesting or looting, but simply trying to calm everyone down. Then, they were murdered by the man inciting the crowd.

In their death, they left a child, a 12-year old boy. He was unlike the other kids his age; for one, he was much more fragile, quiet, and gentle (Think Hinata). This made him seem weak, and wasn't the most popular at the academy for it. However, the aspect of his life that made him truly different from the other boys was that he was a jinchuriki, one of 25 people who kept a tailed beast of immense power locked inside their bodies.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all the commotion, their son, Moroi Hakushi, was at home, fast asleep. He wouldn't know until the next day that he had just become an orphan.

_**The next day…**_

Moroi awoke to the knocking at the front door to his house. He jumped out of bed, fully clothed. This was common for his family, 'in case they had to leave suddenly' his parents said.

_That's weird…Why don't they just use their key? _He thought, believing it was his parents just coming home.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, looking through the eyehole. "It's Yuuki!"

Yuuki Hogosha, almost Moroi's only friend, was the stronger of the two, and of their class. She was considered the best ninja at the academy, which made her the target of many boys' affection. However, the only boy she ever seemed interested in was Moroi, which, in turn, made the others dislike him more. Her father is second in command at the police force.

As he opened the door and Yuuki walked in, followed by her father, Moroi noticed the sad expression on their faces.

"Yuuki, what's wrong? I-is somebody hurt?" He said.

"Moroi, you should probably sit down for this" Yuuki's father said.

Doing so, he asked again, this time, more nervous than before. "What's going on?"

"Moroi…" she began. "Last night, there was a riot. Your parents were doing their best to calm the crowd down, but…I'm sorry Moroi. They were killed."

_They were killed._ The words resonated in his thoughts. It was so sudden, what would he do? Who would he turn to? Why was this happening to him? Tears began to slowly slide down from his eyes, down to his cheeks.

"Moroi…do you have any family you can stay with?"

"N-n-no…" he said shakily, as that hit him as well. "They w-were all I h-had."

_Damn. _Mr. Hogosha thought. _This kid has nobody? Tough break._ "Well then, you can stay at our estate until we can figure things out." He told him.

"Really?" Yuuki asked.

"It's the least we can do for him!"

"Th-thank you, Mr. Hogosha, I appreciate it." Moroi said, sadly but sincerely.

"Good, pack your bags, take whatever you want, I'm needed back at the station. Yuuki will wait here and help you if you need anything. Yuuki, bring him to our house when he's finished."

_**2 hours later**_

As he finished packing and walked toward the living room, he almost passed his parent's room. Almost. He walked sullenly into the room, thinking he would never be back in there again. Off of their dresser, he grabbed a framed picture of his parents and him. Removing the picture from the frame, he noticed writing on the back of it: "_Moroi, whenever things become too tough for you to handle, just remember to breath_."

He took the picture, folded it, and put it in his jacket pocket. He knew he would keep it with him always.

He went into the living room, where Yuuki was waiting. Yuuki, who was usually loud, knew better this time, and merely hugged him for a minute, then separated and said softly, "Let's go, if you're ready."

"I am. There's nothing for me here anymore." Moroi said bitterly.

And so they walked to Hogosha Estate.

**End of Chapter One.**


	2. Chapter 2

Remember to Breath, Chapter 2.

Two days after he began living at the Hogosha Estate, Moroi's parent's funeral was held. Many ninja were in attendance, including the Hokage. Yuuki, her father, and Moroi's few friends comforted him. After taking another day to grieve, Moroi decided to return to school.

However, when he returned, there were those who had no sympathy for the orphan. The school bullies weren't the only problem; other kids, who believed what their parents believed, harassed and mocked Moroi, who couldn't do anything to stop them. Luckily he didn't have to endure it alone.

"You should be in the ground with you parents, demon." One of the bullies said, which was like a knife to the stomach for poor Moroi.

"I'm surprised you're still allowed to live here, they should have banished you from the village, demon!" the other said, shoving him to the ground. He opened his mouth to say more, but he was silenced by the 'THUNK' of a shuriken hitting the tree behind him, just barely an inch from his neck.

Stunned by the sound, he looked back to see what it was, and then looked forward again quickly. Standing there, almost instantly, was Yuuki, Moroi's loyal protector.

"Why you-!" the boy started, as he ran towards the kunoichi. However, his planned revenge was short-lived, as he found himself immobile.

"Thanks for the back-up, Asuma!" Yuuki said, as her friend stepped out of the shadows. This was none other than the grandson of the current Hokage, Shikamaru Nara, Prodigy of the Nara. (I bet you didn't see that coming did you?)

"Don't be modest, Yuuki, you probably could've taken him, but I wanted my shot at him first." Asuma Nara said. "Besides, I was dying to test this jutsu gramps taught me!"

"H-hey! Come on Asuma, we were just playing…" the boy said unconvincingly.

Yuuki walked up to him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"Oh really? Well, if I see you 'playing' with him again, Asuma and I will personally deliver you a one-way ticket to the Forbidden Forest!"

Stories of the Forbidden Forest were passed down from those who 'visited' during the chuunin exams, and it was notorious for being a deathtrap.

"Y-you wouldn't…!" he said, worried. After all, she WAS the daughter of the police chief; would she get away with it?

"Try me." She snarled with a devilishly intimidating glare in her eyes.

Letting go of his collar, the boy and the other bullies who were terrorizing Moroi ran with dust in their place.

"Let's go guys, the bell's about to ring," Asuma said, extending his hand to help Moroi up. "Moroi, Don't let them get to you. Remember, we got your back."

Smiling at that thought, Moroi took Asuma's hand and the trio walked to class as the bell rung.

Class was, in short, embarrassing for Moroi. Like the previous Leaf village jinchuriki, Moroi's chakra network was chaotic, making control complicated. The shadow clone he produced in a puff of smoke was discolored and misshapen. Still, no one dared laugh for fear of Yuuki and Asuma's wrath.

After the lesson, Moroi, Yuuki, and Asuma were asked to stay after class. Although they were assured they weren't in trouble, the trio was still suspicious.

What they saw, however, surprised them: The Hokage was in the room, and, from what the teacher explained to them, wanted to have a personal discussion with Moroi. But after he heard what Asuma and Yuuki did to defend Moroi, he decided they take part in the discussion as well.

"You see, Moroi, the previous Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki was a close friend of mine, and was a great hero to this village. However, when he started out, people thought of him as nothing more than a demon, and despite what I tell them, they think of you in the same way." The Hokage said.

"Hokage…" Moroi began, "this jinchuriki…did he have trouble controlling his chakra network?"

The Hokage blinked, and then said, "Come to think of it, he did. People called him dead last because he couldn't finish a simple shadow clone jutsu. But he found a way around his disadvantageous situation and learned an even better technique." He laughed, reminiscing.

He was about to go on, but was cut off when Yuuki bluntly asked, "Hokage, why did you ask Moroi to be here? And why did you let Asuma and I stay?"

If he and Asuma hadn't given her an annoyed glare, Yuuki would've continued barraging the Hokage with questions.

"Moroi…I would've waited until you were older to do this, but because of what's happened to you, I've decided it would be best if you were to-"

"Hold on! Are you kicking Moroi out of the village? That's not fair! He hasn't done anything wrong! He-"

"Enough!" the Hokage said, tired of being interrupted. "Let me finish. Moroi, it's time you go train with the toad sage, and former nine-tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki!"

After he said that, the room became tense.

"H-Hokage…why?"

"Because, Moroi…there is a prophecy unraveling around us. Dark times lay ahead; the death of your parents clarified that to me. Last time, the village was nearly wiped out, and we relied on Naruto to keep us safe. But now, it's your turn to take up the responsibility. The village…the world will need a hero. I'm hoping that hero is you."

"What about you, grandfather? You're the Hokage, you're supposed to be the protector of the village!" Asuma said.

"And protect it, I shall, until my last breath. That, however, may not be enough. And Naruto is the only one who can teach Moroi."

"That still doesn't explain something…" Yuuki said, finally speaking up. "Why have Asuma and I in here for this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the Hokage said, "The two of you will be training with him."

**End of Chapter 2.**


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